Bold Colors Made Delicate in This Stunning Garden Wedding

Abby
May 23, 2018
Categories: Destination, Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

So many of the vendors behind today’s post have been a part of the SMP family for many, many years. I’ve had the sheer privilege of watching them push their styles, develop their craft, grow and inspire and change this industry in ways that has had such a meaningful impact. While I’ve listed them all below (as there are too many to list here) – Photographer, Braedon Flynn | Planner & Designer XOXO Bride | Floral Designer, Cody Floral Design | Beauty, TEAM Hair & Makeup – continue to do what they do best with this absolute stunner of a wedding. Full gallery here!

From the Kandra & Gerard… We met through a mutual friend while watching football on a Sunday afternoon. There was an instant connection, to say the least. Gerard texted his friends the next day saying he had met “the one.” We went out on our first date a week later and, we know it sounds cheesy, but we knew then that we were meant to be together.

Over the years we had celebrated multiple anniversaries and special occasions in Santa Barbara and we knew we wanted to get married in the area. Kandra had always envisioned the wedding taking place at a private property with a home for her family to stay in, surrounded by gardens and greenery. Villa Sevillano was the first venue we saw and we were sold immediately.

After picking our venue we began the planning process by making a list of descriptive words that we wanted to define our wedding day. We used words like “warm,” “intimate,” and “timeless.”

We chose not to do a first-look and saw each other for the first time on the aisle, which was an emotional but memorable moment. We wanted the ceremony to be short and sweet, but still heartfelt and meaningful. We wrote our own vows so that each promise was personal.

After saying “I do” and sealing our marriage with a kiss we walked straight into the Villa where we took 10 minutes to be alone. We had a glass of champagne, one of each of the appetizers our guests were served during cocktail hour and shared our mornings with each other. Without a first look, it was important for us to be alone and share a quiet moment together before going back to our guests.

We chose a darker color palette with simple gold accents to give it a deep and romantic feel. Given that the reception was taking place in the garden, we imagined string lights and an abundance of candles to create a warm atmosphere. We also relied heavily on the beauty of the property, which served as an incredible backdrop.

After the ceremony we wanted the rest of the night to be a celebration filled with music, food and drink. The food was served family style to create a more casual feel, and wine and cocktails flowed all night long.

During dinner, a live band played the classics and ultimately kicked off an epic dance party. An hour before the night ended, we surprised everyone with a cover band to play all of our favorite 80’s rock hits. It was the perfect way to cap off the perfect wedding day.